‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ Raises $144,248 to Help Those Impacted by Hurricane Helene

MILWAUKEE, WI (October 7, 2024) – WISN 12, in partnership with the American Red Cross, held the ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ to provide critical support for people devastated by Hurricane Helene. Through the generosity of viewers and corporate contributions, $144,248 was collected to help communities following the record-setting, deadly storm.

Hurricane Helene claimed the lives of hundreds of people after several states were hit with flash flooding, damaging winds, and dangerous tornadoes. Helene made landfall as a category 4 hurricane on September 26 and has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

“The death and destruction from Helene is heartbreaking, leaving destruction and the lives of so many others totally upended,” says Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “We wanted to do whatever we could to help, and immediately partnered with the local Red Cross and our generous viewers to raise much needed funds,” added Wade.

The station launched the ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ on Friday, September 27 with online donations to the Red Cross via wisn.com/redcross. On Wednesday, October 2 the station hosted a phone bank from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Along with the generosity of viewers across Southeastern Wisconsin, matching donations were delivered by companies including Sargento offering $20,000 and the WE Energies Foundation offering $10,000. In addition to hosting the relief drive and being the only local television station to have a phone bank, WISN 12 also contributed $1,000 for the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“It’s extremely touching to see communities here at home helping other communities across the country,” adds Wade. “Whenever people are in need, no matter where they are, Wisconsin’s right there with them.”

The ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ for Hurricane Helene is the 6^th relief drive that the station has hosted since 2017. Previous relief drives helped those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Florence (2018), Ida (2021) and Ian (2022). To date, the relief drives have raised $690,255 for the American Red Cross.

WISN 12 and the American Red Cross stand ready to host another ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ after Hurricane Milton hits.

ABOUT HEARST TELEVISION

Hearst Television owns and/or operates 35 television and two radio stations serving 27 media markets across 39 states reaching 24 million U.S. television households. Through its partnership with nearly all major networks, Hearst Television distributes national content over more than 120 video channels including programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MY Net, MeTV, Estrella and more. The radio stations are leaders in Baltimore news/talk and rock music listenership. Its Hearst Media Production Group unit produces original programming across linear and streaming platforms for domestic and international distribution. Its Very Local app, free to download on household OTT devices and available across popular streaming services, offers 24/7 access to local news, weather and an array of local and regional programming. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry’s premier companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.